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Letters from the Heart
We know that families experiencing this injury are under a great deal of emotional stress at the time they receive our tote bags. Many communicate with us through our toll free TBI-Hope Line very soon after the injury has occurred but most let us know how helpful our bags were to them during this extremely difficult time months later.
If you or someone you know has been touched in some way by our program and would like to share your story, please feel free to email us at letters@mabii.org. You need not disclose your name.
Here a just a few letters we’ve received:
June 26, 2008
Dear Tracy,
Sorry it's taken me so long to write, but each day is busier than the next.
Paul is doing much better since he has been home. He goes to Brooks 3 times a week, for speech and does therapy for his right side of body, still has no use of right arm or hand, but each day he gets stronger. He has a very hard time communicating on every day names and words. He tried very hard and is a fighter so he won’t give up. He has a very long road ahead of him. Surgery to have his skull placed back to his head on July the 3rd.
I want to thank you so very much for providing us the bag "Mothers Against Brain Injury" it was and is still very helpful, the information , got me to you, and lawyers, which are working now for us. THANKS !!!! I don't know what came in more handy the toiletries snacks, pillow, or the cozy blanket, to make it through those long day at the hospital. Probably the tissue. I can't thank you enough for everything. When they gave me the bag at Shands I was crying so bad and so very tired I didn't even look at it for a week later but boy I'm glad I did.
Take care and thank you again.
God bless and keep us in your prayers.
Laura and the Geiger family
Mon, March 31, 2008
Hi Tracy, I was trying to write a letter to thank you for the tote bag. The information inside has helped my family tremendously. Our 19 year old son Justin was in a car accident Feb 23, 2008, he suffered a severe TBI. We are in day 37 and he is still in Shands at UF. I am taking one day at a time and just wanted to let you know the information booklets in that bag have helped us understand so much about these injuries and kind of what to expect. Justin is a level 2 right now on the Rancho scale. We pray everyday for just a little bit more.... and it will come in time
thank you
Pam and Chuck Drew
Mar 24, 2008
Dear Tracy,
On Feb. 03,2008 our child Carlos F Marques, (41 years old)has suffered brain damaged in an accident, was emergency surgery at Jackson Hospital because no ID with him, we had been contacted by the social worker o
n March 10, 2008, he still at JM Hospital West Wing Room 949, he is stable, but in semi-coma. We received your tote bag next day after first visit and we are getting a lot of education from your books.My wife Martha is 76 and I am almost 70.
We really appreciated your help and dedication to this project.
Thanks regards.
Carlos & Martha Marques.
Dear Tracy, Thank you so very much for all the information and help you have given us. The tote bag was such a wonderful thing to give. We used and continue to use the bag. It was also knowing and reading about other people that have gone through this before. It let me know I wasn’t alone and to keep hope and faith!
God Bless You,
Marla Stewart
Plant City, FL
July 20, 2006
Mothers Against Brain Injuries, I received my worse nightmare on 4/14/2006 around 6:00 in the evening. I was at work finishing up when the call came in that Preston my 4 year old angel was hit by a car and was being transported to Shands. My first thought was that this had to be a terrible joke, as the voice on the other end of the phone assured me this was no joke, I dropped everything and started on the most dreadful trip of my life. I arrived at Shands before Preston, as each ambulance pulled up I scanned the back wanting, waiting to see my baby, to see for myself that he was going to be ok. As my family began to arrive I could see the terror in their faces as they ran to comfort me, and then I got another blow to my heart, Preston wasn't going to be arriving in an ambulance he was being transported via Trauma One. I felt my world slipping away, I remember trying to hang on to my sanity, trying to be strong for my family, but in reality I was dying inside. He was being transported by life flight this was not good.
November 28, 2007
Dear Tracy,
I am the mother of Amanda Nicole Corrales and our story is the following:
My daughter, who is 13 months old, was sitting in her stroller with her seat belt on October 18th, 2007 at around 6:30 pm when her grandmother who was learning how to drive lost control of the car and came straight toward her, her father and brother while they were sitting on the lawn. My little boy was hit by the car but fortunately only suffered cuts on his head which required a few staples, however Amanda, my baby, was not so lucky. Her dad, trying to push her out of the way of the vehicle but she suffered a severe brain injury. She was airlifted to Miami Children's Hospital. There, the doctors after several hours of trying to control her swelling decided to do a craniotomy.
Once in PICU I received a Mothers Against Brain Injury tote bag. In my caring bag I found items that were both educational as well as practical. The literature on brain injury was detailed and it answered some of the questions that our neurosurgeons didn't have answers for. For example, my neurosurgeon is an excellent doctor but hearing the words “I do not know what the outcome is going to be” was always consistent. Also, the phrase I learned to hate "She is exactly were I want her to be". Which was what???? The books provided explained better what was possible or to be expected.
August 24, 2007
Hi. My name is April and I received one of your tote bags while my son, Finn was in the Broward Medical Center with a brain injury. Finn had been in a car accident that involved a drunk driver at 8:15pm on 8-15-07 and passed away 8-16-07 at 6:40pm. I then gave birth to my son, Parker Finn at 10:50pm the same night (8-16-07). While he was in the ICU for short while, he is now healthy and well. Because of our long stay in the hospital we made good use of all of the things that you had provided. I want to thank you very much for both the items included and the information provided. I read through the literature while I sat at Finn's bedside waiting for test results and found it very helpful. While your program looks to primarily support brain injury survivors and the rehabilitation period and my son did not have the chance to need rehabilitation I still found your organization to be a good support in my situation. We had many people ask if there was an organization that we would like donations to be made to in lieu of flowers being sent to the Memorial Service and I provided your organizations information. I hope that you receive much support to help you to continue your program. April
March 14, 2007
I have been meaning to write this for some time now. We had a trauma situation last fall, November 26, 2006, in which my son was involved in a kite boarding accident and was airlifted to St. Mary's Hospital. It was the single most horrific moment in our lives. the uncertainty coupled with the fact that we have 3 other children to care for was more than we bargained for. As we were sitting in the PICU unit, we were presented with a bag from your organization. It had in it everything we could possibly have asked for. As you said, everyone carries and hands you business cards, kind of odd but it happens. They tell you things and you can't remember them. The days run together with the nights and you forget all about yourself. You provided everything. There are no words that can begin to thank you for your kindness. Having been there, you are one of the few that can share in the feelings we experienced. The definition section of the reading really helped because there were times when I really wasn't sure what they were talking about. Your path of progression is very close to what takes place and really provided a source of comfort.
July 20, 2005
February 14, 2005 is a day I will never forget. The day started with cards, hugs, and kisses from everyone, including Josh. As he walked out of the door heading to school, I told him “I love you, son. Have a great day!” A little before noon my day changed. I received the phone call every parent fears. “Get to the hospital! Josh has been in an accident. Just get to the hospital!” were the words on the other end of the phone. My world fell apart.
Joshua, aka, Josh, who was 17, had been traveling home from school and was hit by a CSX train traveling at least 30 mph. The engine hit just behind the driver’s seat where he sat. The force pushed him down the track, flipped his car and he had be cut out.
Taken to Shand’s in Jacksonville, by air, and listed in critical condition, I was told “they have him in the back, but it doesn’t look good”.
August 1, 2007
We're so glad we can share a happy ending with you and tell you how much your tote meant to us. We all seem to feel so alone when faced with tragedy, especially involving our kids. The tote let us know we weren't in this alone, that others have known the boundless pain we were feeling. We found strength in that camaraderie. Thank you for that.
Our journey with Taylor has been the most difficult challenge we've ever faced, but we tried to always remember that his friends and ours, along with our family, felt the pain as deeply as we did.
Dear Tracy, We recently had a patient admitted to the medical intensive care unit. The patient's home was approximately seven hours north so when his wife drove down she did not have any of the basic resources she would need. She admitted that she hadn't even thought about what she would need at the hospital and had no knowledge of traumatic brain injuries prior to this accident. The thank you card I received after the patient was discharged home said, "Thank you for hooking me up with lodging...and the information from [Mothers Against Brain Injury]. I am forever grateful." The tote bags are a small token but make a huge difference in everyday lives.
Gavin Malcolm, LCSW
Coordinator, Social Services & Trauma Social Worker
North Broward Medical Center Deerfield Beach, FL
Tracy:
We've all looked through your bag here at Shands Rehab Hospital and everyone thought it was great! I also showed it at our monthly BI Support group and our participants also thought it was a wonderful idea.
Marie
Shands Rehab Hospital
HI Tracy,
We went through the tote bag at our last Heads Together Support group meeting and it received raves by our group members. We all felt that it was so wonderful and worthwhile. The caregivers thought back to when we were at the trauma centers and how much we would have loved to have had one of these "bags of hope and comfort" especially that first night.
One of the members did suggest that maybe a little portable CD player or IPOD may be nice to give comfort to the caregiver and survivor during the recovery process. Like a little escape or therapy tool. May God Bless all of you for the wonderful service you are providing to those who are endearing a life changing event in the lives of all affected by TBI.
Brenda Buchweitz
Heads Together Support Group
Melbourne, Florida
Dear Tracy,
Thanks for the share of the tote-bag. Our day-program support group, our every-other-week support group, and our monthly family support group all reviewed the items included in the bag. You guys did a fantastic job! All of the items included are equally important and come together wonderfully. Again, thanks for sharing this great tote project with us and we wish you the best of luck with this project.
Kathy Meade
Executive Director
Second Chance of Northwest Florida, Inc.
222 E Beach Drive
Panama City, FL 32401
85-769-7779
Dear Mrs. Tracy-Porter,
Thank you for your charitable contributions to the victims of Traumatic Brain Injury. As one of the busiest Trauma hospitals in the country, UM/Jackson Memorial Hospital Trauma Center, is constantly evaluating, treating, and providing neuropsychological therapeutic services to this population, and their much effected families. Upon learning of your organization and the generous tote bags delivery system, we were all moved by the organization’s compassion, thoughtfulness, and efficiency, in providing these important materials to afflicted families. Numerous family members have returned to visit our neurotrauma floor with grateful smiles & gestures, organized agendas, and overall, better prepared to face the many challenges they will likely encounter in the future. In addition, many of the patients have eventually utilized and integrated these materials into their cognitive retraining program as compensatory devices to atone for attention, memory, and organizational deficits; such a finding could not be done early enough in treatment! Finally, the helpful list of available resources has been invaluable to victims and family members of TBI, and has in many ways guided them throughout this difficult road towards recovery and community reentry. Thank you.
Rene Hernandez-Cardenache, Psy.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Chief, Neuropsychology Fellow
UM/Jackson Memorial Hospital
Ryder Trauma Center
We know that families experiencing this injury are under a great deal of emotional stress at the time they receive our tote bags. Many communicate with us through our toll free TBI-Hope Line very soon after the injury has occurred but most let us know how helpful our bags were to them during this extremely difficult time months later.
If you or someone you know has been touched in some way by our program and would like to share your story, please feel free to email us at letters@mabii.org. You need not disclose your name.
Here a just a few letters we’ve received:
June 26, 2008
Dear Tracy,
Sorry it's taken me so long to write, but each day is busier than the next.
Paul is doing much better since he has been home. He goes to Brooks 3 times a week, for speech and does therapy for his right side of body, still has no use of right arm or hand, but each day he gets stronger. He has a very hard time communicating on every day names and words. He tried very hard and is a fighter so he won’t give up. He has a very long road ahead of him. Surgery to have his skull placed back to his head on July the 3rd.
I want to thank you so very much for providing us the bag "Mothers Against Brain Injury" it was and is still very helpful, the information , got me to you, and lawyers, which are working now for us. THANKS !!!! I don't know what came in more handy the toiletries snacks, pillow, or the cozy blanket, to make it through those long day at the hospital. Probably the tissue. I can't thank you enough for everything. When they gave me the bag at Shands I was crying so bad and so very tired I didn't even look at it for a week later but boy I'm glad I did.
Take care and thank you again.
God bless and keep us in your prayers.
Laura and the Geiger family
Mon, March 31, 2008
Hi Tracy, I was trying to write a letter to thank you for the tote bag. The information inside has helped my family tremendously. Our 19 year old son Justin was in a car accident Feb 23, 2008, he suffered a severe TBI. We are in day 37 and he is still in Shands at UF. I am taking one day at a time and just wanted to let you know the information booklets in that bag have helped us understand so much about these injuries and kind of what to expect. Justin is a level 2 right now on the Rancho scale. We pray everyday for just a little bit more.... and it will come in time
thank you
Pam and Chuck Drew
Mar 24, 2008
Dear Tracy,
On Feb. 03,2008 our child Carlos F Marques, (41 years old)has suffered brain damaged in an accident, was emergency surgery at Jackson Hospital because no ID with him, we had been contacted by the social worker o
n March 10, 2008, he still at JM Hospital West Wing Room 949, he is stable, but in semi-coma. We received your tote bag next day after first visit and we are getting a lot of education from your books.My wife Martha is 76 and I am almost 70.
We really appreciated your help and dedication to this project.
Thanks regards.
Carlos & Martha Marques.
Dear Tracy, Thank you so very much for all the information and help you have given us. The tote bag was such a wonderful thing to give. We used and continue to use the bag. It was also knowing and reading about other people that have gone through this before. It let me know I wasn’t alone and to keep hope and faith!
God Bless You,
Marla Stewart
Plant City, FL
July 20, 2006
Mothers Against Brain Injuries, I received my worse nightmare on 4/14/2006 around 6:00 in the evening. I was at work finishing up when the call came in that Preston my 4 year old angel was hit by a car and was being transported to Shands. My first thought was that this had to be a terrible joke, as the voice on the other end of the phone assured me this was no joke, I dropped everything and started on the most dreadful trip of my life. I arrived at Shands before Preston, as each ambulance pulled up I scanned the back wanting, waiting to see my baby, to see for myself that he was going to be ok. As my family began to arrive I could see the terror in their faces as they ran to comfort me, and then I got another blow to my heart, Preston wasn't going to be arriving in an ambulance he was being transported via Trauma One. I felt my world slipping away, I remember trying to hang on to my sanity, trying to be strong for my family, but in reality I was dying inside. He was being transported by life flight this was not good.
November 28, 2007
Dear Tracy,
I am the mother of Amanda Nicole Corrales and our story is the following:
My daughter, who is 13 months old, was sitting in her stroller with her seat belt on October 18th, 2007 at around 6:30 pm when her grandmother who was learning how to drive lost control of the car and came straight toward her, her father and brother while they were sitting on the lawn. My little boy was hit by the car but fortunately only suffered cuts on his head which required a few staples, however Amanda, my baby, was not so lucky. Her dad, trying to push her out of the way of the vehicle but she suffered a severe brain injury. She was airlifted to Miami Children's Hospital. There, the doctors after several hours of trying to control her swelling decided to do a craniotomy.
Once in PICU I received a Mothers Against Brain Injury tote bag. In my caring bag I found items that were both educational as well as practical. The literature on brain injury was detailed and it answered some of the questions that our neurosurgeons didn't have answers for. For example, my neurosurgeon is an excellent doctor but hearing the words “I do not know what the outcome is going to be” was always consistent. Also, the phrase I learned to hate "She is exactly were I want her to be". Which was what???? The books provided explained better what was possible or to be expected.
August 24, 2007
Hi. My name is April and I received one of your tote bags while my son, Finn was in the Broward Medical Center with a brain injury. Finn had been in a car accident that involved a drunk driver at 8:15pm on 8-15-07 and passed away 8-16-07 at 6:40pm. I then gave birth to my son, Parker Finn at 10:50pm the same night (8-16-07). While he was in the ICU for short while, he is now healthy and well. Because of our long stay in the hospital we made good use of all of the things that you had provided. I want to thank you very much for both the items included and the information provided. I read through the literature while I sat at Finn's bedside waiting for test results and found it very helpful. While your program looks to primarily support brain injury survivors and the rehabilitation period and my son did not have the chance to need rehabilitation I still found your organization to be a good support in my situation. We had many people ask if there was an organization that we would like donations to be made to in lieu of flowers being sent to the Memorial Service and I provided your organizations information. I hope that you receive much support to help you to continue your program. April
March 14, 2007
I have been meaning to write this for some time now. We had a trauma situation last fall, November 26, 2006, in which my son was involved in a kite boarding accident and was airlifted to St. Mary's Hospital. It was the single most horrific moment in our lives. the uncertainty coupled with the fact that we have 3 other children to care for was more than we bargained for. As we were sitting in the PICU unit, we were presented with a bag from your organization. It had in it everything we could possibly have asked for. As you said, everyone carries and hands you business cards, kind of odd but it happens. They tell you things and you can't remember them. The days run together with the nights and you forget all about yourself. You provided everything. There are no words that can begin to thank you for your kindness. Having been there, you are one of the few that can share in the feelings we experienced. The definition section of the reading really helped because there were times when I really wasn't sure what they were talking about. Your path of progression is very close to what takes place and really provided a source of comfort.
July 20, 2005
February 14, 2005 is a day I will never forget. The day started with cards, hugs, and kisses from everyone, including Josh. As he walked out of the door heading to school, I told him “I love you, son. Have a great day!” A little before noon my day changed. I received the phone call every parent fears. “Get to the hospital! Josh has been in an accident. Just get to the hospital!” were the words on the other end of the phone. My world fell apart.
Joshua, aka, Josh, who was 17, had been traveling home from school and was hit by a CSX train traveling at least 30 mph. The engine hit just behind the driver’s seat where he sat. The force pushed him down the track, flipped his car and he had be cut out.
Taken to Shand’s in Jacksonville, by air, and listed in critical condition, I was told “they have him in the back, but it doesn’t look good”.
August 1, 2007
We're so glad we can share a happy ending with you and tell you how much your tote meant to us. We all seem to feel so alone when faced with tragedy, especially involving our kids. The tote let us know we weren't in this alone, that others have known the boundless pain we were feeling. We found strength in that camaraderie. Thank you for that.
Our journey with Taylor has been the most difficult challenge we've ever faced, but we tried to always remember that his friends and ours, along with our family, felt the pain as deeply as we did.
Letters from the Hospitals & Support Groups
We encourage hospital staff to share their accounts of how these tote bags helped them during the course of a family’s stay. Nurses and social workers work very closely with the families providing as much comfort and medical care to the injured person. We are told on occasion how nice it is for them to be able to hand the family hope through this very compassionate program.
Mothers Against Brain Injury,
Your Totes of Hope are a godsend, and here is why: Families of traumatic brain injury patients are devastated and feel alone in the world. They say they are helpless and don’t know which way to turn. They often don’t eat well, if at all, and their sleep patterns are frequently disturbed. Headaches and upset stomach are common. They have many questions, but when they see someone who could answer them, they tend to forget what they were going to ask. Families of the critically ill need answers; and most of all, they need hope. Your Totes of Hope address all these issues and more. I see how effectively they help when I look into the grateful eyes of the person receiving one, and I am pleased to have a small part in helping. Keep up the good work!
Sandi Knapp, MSN, RN, CCRN Staff Nurse, SICU Shands at UF
Dear Tracy:
Thanks for coming to our hospital yesterday to provide us with an overview of your organization and the services and material you provide to families of patients. Your presentation was well received by all who attended. Your tote bags and their contents are very comprehensive and are very much appreciated by the nursing staff, rehab staff and our case managers. The resources you provide in these tote bags are very helpful for families going through a very complicated and scary process with a traumatic brain injury of a loved one. This is a great program and service…. we will be sure everyone here is aware of this program and that we take maximum advantage of all it offers to us and our patients and their families… You should be commended for your efforts and commitment to this important patient / family need.
Thanks,
Davide M. Carbone
Chief Executive Officer
St. Mary's Medical Center
Dear Tracy, We recently had a patient admitted to the medical intensive care unit. The patient's home was approximately seven hours north so when his wife drove down she did not have any of the basic resources she would need. She admitted that she hadn't even thought about what she would need at the hospital and had no knowledge of traumatic brain injuries prior to this accident. The thank you card I received after the patient was discharged home said, "Thank you for hooking me up with lodging...and the information from [Mothers Against Brain Injury]. I am forever grateful." The tote bags are a small token but make a huge difference in everyday lives.
Gavin Malcolm, LCSW
Coordinator, Social Services & Trauma Social Worker
North Broward Medical Center Deerfield Beach, FL
Tracy:
We've all looked through your bag here at Shands Rehab Hospital and everyone thought it was great! I also showed it at our monthly BI Support group and our participants also thought it was a wonderful idea.
Marie
Shands Rehab Hospital
HI Tracy,
We went through the tote bag at our last Heads Together Support group meeting and it received raves by our group members. We all felt that it was so wonderful and worthwhile. The caregivers thought back to when we were at the trauma centers and how much we would have loved to have had one of these "bags of hope and comfort" especially that first night.
One of the members did suggest that maybe a little portable CD player or IPOD may be nice to give comfort to the caregiver and survivor during the recovery process. Like a little escape or therapy tool. May God Bless all of you for the wonderful service you are providing to those who are endearing a life changing event in the lives of all affected by TBI.
Brenda Buchweitz
Heads Together Support Group
Melbourne, Florida
Dear Tracy,
Thanks for the share of the tote-bag. Our day-program support group, our every-other-week support group, and our monthly family support group all reviewed the items included in the bag. You guys did a fantastic job! All of the items included are equally important and come together wonderfully. Again, thanks for sharing this great tote project with us and we wish you the best of luck with this project.
Kathy Meade
Executive Director
Second Chance of Northwest Florida, Inc.
222 E Beach Drive
Panama City, FL 32401
85-769-7779
Dear Mrs. Tracy-Porter,
Thank you for your charitable contributions to the victims of Traumatic Brain Injury. As one of the busiest Trauma hospitals in the country, UM/Jackson Memorial Hospital Trauma Center, is constantly evaluating, treating, and providing neuropsychological therapeutic services to this population, and their much effected families. Upon learning of your organization and the generous tote bags delivery system, we were all moved by the organization’s compassion, thoughtfulness, and efficiency, in providing these important materials to afflicted families. Numerous family members have returned to visit our neurotrauma floor with grateful smiles & gestures, organized agendas, and overall, better prepared to face the many challenges they will likely encounter in the future. In addition, many of the patients have eventually utilized and integrated these materials into their cognitive retraining program as compensatory devices to atone for attention, memory, and organizational deficits; such a finding could not be done early enough in treatment! Finally, the helpful list of available resources has been invaluable to victims and family members of TBI, and has in many ways guided them throughout this difficult road towards recovery and community reentry. Thank you.
Rene Hernandez-Cardenache, Psy.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Chief, Neuropsychology Fellow
UM/Jackson Memorial Hospital
Ryder Trauma Center
